Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
Hmmm...let's try one more...
Johanna wrote: "Calathea wrote: "You can load your photo to Photobucket or picasa or another site like that, grab the url from there and use the img-tag like Cleon explained to link to your pic. :)"Thanks, Calat..."
PM me, if you need help! :)
I just finished Protection by S. A. Reid. Wow! A MUST-read. This lady has it goin' on. It's 1936, a tough guy, alpha male in prison--but somebody you believe in absolutely, not a comicbook anti-hero. Not Bruce Willis (who I like fine; don't get me wrong), more Daniel Craig--makes you crazy, breaks your heart. His love interest is also very true to life and no sweet-faced needy twink. I wish I were better at parsing out what makes a story work and a writer effective. But this one's a winner; enjoy!
Kim wrote: "Someone here, Christopher I think, recommended a Benjamin Justice novel last month. I bought the Kindle version almost immediately, before realizing it was a series (shouldn't really commit to a se..."I read those (all but the last, I think) many years ago. Things, for Ben, get both worse and better depending on what you're looking at. Spanning the series, his story's depression meter went a little too far past balance for my taste. Which was a shame, because I loved the first book. Ben was sexy and sure of himself...Ah, well.
Christopher wrote: "Let's give it a go then..."
Thank you! So, is that you? Just a candid shot; right? Will you be my friend?
Christopher wrote: "I was seriously tempted by that one based on the reviews and the excerpt, but I'm not sure I can handle that much depression if the main character does end up actually dying. Not to ruin the book for anyone else who wants to read it, could you tell me if he does in fact die? I won't bother buying it then! "
Um... Well... I can't think of a sufficiently obfuscating way to answer this which will preserve a rather good "ah, ha!" moment that turns things nicely back to front. So (view spoiler). It didn't strike me as depressing. There's some dark humour to be sure, but it's not a sad book.
Here are some Dickens cartoons for those of you who are still drooling over that unearthed manuscript (or the sparkly martinis) or just want to celebrate his bicentennial year.http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs...
Mod
http://www.newyorke..."
Nice! Thanks, Dev.
Mod
He's got a nice little Hansen vibe going on. Not in his style, though his style is very readable -- clean, brisk, unvarnished -- more to do with tone and mood. In fact, if it were not for the conscious lack of romance, I'd say he reminds me of Hansen's work as James Colton. But Hansen was so terribly romantic in his terse, tough way that I believe he makes this younger generation of gay writers a little uncomfortable.Anyway, I'm going to head right into the Boystown series next.
Please let us know what you think of Boystown. I have it on my TBR list.
Thanks, Lou. Now I'm looking forward to these stories even more. I just finished Josh's Come Unto These Yellow Sands and am now reading Frank Tuttle's Hold the Dark as well as Robert Dunbar's Willy . . . and I'm realizing, all over again, how individual works of fiction can deliver such enormous satisfaction in such different ways. I always feel blessed when I come upon one superb work after another. It's like discovering the joy of reading for the first time. (I love when that happens!)
Candice wrote: "Christopher wrote: "Let's give it a go then..."
Thank you! So, is that you? Just a candid shot; right? Will you be my friend?"
Errr...yeah...it's me...
John wrote: "Um... Well... I can't think of a sufficiently obfuscating way to answer this which will preserve a rather good "ah, ha!" moment that turns things nicely back to front."Thank you!
K.Z. wrote: "... now reading Frank Tuttle's Hold the Dark..."I keep hearing about this series. Is it m/m, and is there a relationship in it or it's just something that won't let one sleep at night?
Dev wrote: "Here are some Dickens cartoons for those of you who are still drooling over that unearthed manuscript (or the sparkly martinis) or just want to celebrate his bicentennial year.http://www.newyorke..."
That was cool. If you scroll all the way down to the comments, there is one wonderful, snarky one that had me laughing out loud :)
I have just bought several new books, both in paper and on the Kindle, one Norwegian, my favorite Dane, Peter Høegh, also What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Annabel while reading the Rifter in instalments as well as Winter Birds. And then I come here and find a lot of new and interesting writers I absolutely have to check out! I think I need a sabbatical so I can be at home and read all the time :)
Antonella wrote: "K.Z. wrote: "... now reading Frank Tuttle's Hold the Dark..."I keep hearing about this series. Is it m/m, and is there a relationship in it or it's just something that won't let on..."
It isn't m/m, Antonella, but it isn't m/f, either. I'd describe the series as urban fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously. In fact, humor is one of its signatures. There are steampunk touches, too, but little to no romance. (Maybe that's one of the many reasons I'm so crazy about it -- I get to take a break from romance. :))
Markhat, the hero, is something of a droll, cynical lone wolf, and utterly endearing. The secondary cast includes a colorful assortment of seers, conjurers, trolls, ogres, vampires -- all delightful in their own way.
The world is fully realized, but I don't think of it as dark or frightening, just very inventive. Of course, there have to be some grim or creepy moments in urban fantasy.
Thank you for clarifying this point! I've noticed that one of my favorites reviewer gives 5 stars to all the first 4 books, a very rare occurrence.
Still, I think I'll leave this series for after I've finished my m/m TBR pile ;-).
Mod
I love Boystown. It's really not m/m but gay (genre) fiction. It has a bit of Chandler/Ross MacDonald going o..."
I'm really looking forward to them. He's got a retro feel that really appeals. Not least because it's so familiar.
The latest Boystown book is due out very soon I think. I can't wait! Reading the series is like watching the start of good a horror movie. At the beginning, everything seems fine, with the characters going about their business...but you keep getting disturbing hints at what is to come. The tension builds throughout the series as you realise what is happening and what the main character is probably doing.
Do any of you ever crave fiction that has no element of romance in it? I do, and I'm feeling betrayed by one of my favorite romance-free authors (I'm lookin' at you, Frank Tuttle!) for dragging in a girlfriend for one of my favorite, formerly romance-free heroes. This so changes the whole tenor of the Markhat series, I can't bring myself to continue with it.
I'm in mourning!
Christopher wrote: "The latest Boystown book is due out very soon I think. I can't wait! Reading the series is like watching the start of good a horror movie. At the beginning, everything seems fine, with the charac..."
Have any of you read The Perils of Praline? That's on my TBR too. It sounds like fun.
K.Z. wrote: "Christopher wrote: "Have any of you read The Perils of Praline? That's on my TBR too. It sounds like fun."Yeah. It was ok. I mean...I'm tempted to say it was a 'light read' but it stretches the phrase beyond where it was meant to go. It's so light it's practically in orbit.
I found in vaguely amusing. Enough that I finished it.
Mod
I do, and I'm feeling betrayed by one of my favorite romance-free authors (I'm lookin' at you, Frank Tuttle!) for dragging i..."
Oh no. Yes, I am often disappointed when a romantic interest is dragged into a hitherto enjoyable series. Not every story requires a romance.
K.Z. wrote: "Have any of you read The Perils of Praline? That's on my TBR too. It sounds like fun. "I liked it quite a bit. It has such a funny, ironic view on things. Praline is like the archetype of the clueless hero on his quest for love. I laughed a lot and that's always a compliment for a book.
On the other hand I can see, that you need to be in the mood for this kind of humour. :)
Mod
hehe, and I thought I was terrible to my characters! I think Aleks takes the cake!
Mod
"Oooooh! GhosTV is one of my all time favs! Love it!
Jordan wrote: "I finished the book group book yesterday morning, and while taking a sick day from work started Special Forces - Mercenaries Part I."The Special Forces stories are on my Kindle ready for me to dive into. It's one of those where good things have been said about it, but I'm not too sure if it's my cup of tea. I will give it a go, though.
Crazymoi12 wrote: "I'm in the meddle of
"I love this book. But then, I wish Vic and Jacob lived next door to me, too :D
I love GhosTV, I'm Vic-addicted :)
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "I love GhosTV, I'm Vic-addicted :)"Me too, and I am very happy to hear rumours that there are more books coming :)
Anne wrote: "Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "I love GhosTV, I'm Vic-addicted :)"Me too, and I am very happy to hear rumours that there are more books coming :)"
Yes, I think at least two more! I can't wait :)
I've just finished Wild Raspberries by Jane Davitt and then immediately went on to download the sequel, Wintergreen.It's fantastic. A lot of the reviews talk about how claustrophobic the book feels and I have to agree. But this is a major part of the book's attraction and the main reason why the novel is so intense. Pretty much the entire thing is set in a small, isolated cabin in the country.
I liked both books and just now I notice I didn't rate Wintergreen: probably I should re-read ;-).
Josh wrote: "Yes, I am often disappointed when a romantic interest is dragged into a hitherto enjoyable series. Not every story requires a romance."This has been one of my gripes against popular cinema for a long time (and why I hated the movie Titanic).
Sad to say, I'm again wary of getting involved in any series of books. Obviously, it's the author's prerogative to change things up however he (and maybe his editor) sees fit, but sometimes those changes prove distressing or downright indigestible for readers -- especially when we don't see them coming.
A series is truly an emotional investment!
I think that's why it's better to read a series that the author has planned from the start will be one. Often in that case the narrative arc and the development of the characters covers all of the books.With stand alone novels that end up turning into series it does sometimes feel as if you, as the reader, is being emotionally manipulated in a bad way as the author deliberately unravels something they tied up quite nicely in the first book purely for the purpose of provoking an emotional response. Something about that seems cynical - even though of course all romance works are designed to provoke that sort of emotional response or what would be the point of them.
Anyway, what are you guys doing this Valentine's Day? Personally I'm torn between checking out what my ex is doing on facebook, looking to see if anyone new appears on Grindr, or maybe just digging out sometime weepy on DVD...Beaches maybe, or A Message From Holly (god that one always hits me hard).
You know, V-day has always seemed to me a cruel holiday. We try not to celebrate it elaborately in this house. It's great to reaffirm your love, yadda yadda, but there's so much that can go wrong (what no roses? you bought me fat-free chocolates? I know I'm on a diet but you don't have to remind me that I'm fat!) And if you're not in a relationship it's a holiday that slaps you around. I'm hoping for a nice dinner and maybe catching up on Downton on TIVO. This is my .....th relationship and I've learned the secret to happiness is to keep my expectations low.
Christopher wrote: "Personally I'm torn between checking out what my ex is doing on facebook, looking to see if anyone new appears on Grindr, or maybe just digging out sometime weepy on DVD..."From my experience: the facebook-watching is a bad idea. When I noticed I was doing this and it was unhealthy for me, I decided to hide all his entries, so that I wouldn't even think of visiting his page. Only now that I've got some distance I leave occasionally comments on his page, as he always did on mine.
Do something nice for yourself. Or read a m/m book with happy ending. I'll do that.
Dev wrote: "And if you're not in a relationship it's a holiday that slaps you around."
Thank you for the solidarity! I used to give little gifts to my single friends before I became single myself ;-) .
All my past partners and now my husband have been relieved that I'm a Valentine's Day Scrooge. But as I was reading the last few comments, the cat started yowling at the door outside, wanting in from the snow. (Yes, it is snowing again.) The cat is my animal and the dog is my husband's. He's downstairs and I'm up on the mezzanine. I had a brainwave: "It's Valentine's Day -- how 'bout letting the cat in for me?" It worked! :D
We don't do much about Valentine's Day at my house either (except write out cards for my daughter's fourth grade class). It is my husband's birthday, so we celebrate that instead. There is too much pressure surrounding Vslentine's Day, and in the end the holiday doesn't really mean much.
I have actually tried to teach the cat to go out and buy chocolate and flowers, but so far he has refused to learn. So, I shall eat some of the chocolate left over from Christmas, look at the tulips I bought on Saturday, light some candles and enjoy myself with a nice story on my Kindle and the cat in my lap. Happy Valentines :)
I have some ugly errands to run -- then I'm gonna drown myself in soppy romance! Have to. There's something depressing about being single on Valentine's Day, yes. There's something MORE sad about being geographically single -- I *have* someone who I'd love to just have a little quiet romantic downtime with, but he's completely unavailable, on the other side of the country, and with NO contact with the outside world.*sigh*
And then we get to rinse and repeat with my birthday in April.
Kim wrote: "All my past partners and now my husband have been relieved that I'm a Valentine's Day Scrooge"The funny thing is that I was one as well, but as soon as I became single I started to mind Valentine's Day! My masochistic streak? :-)
I'm wearing black today to express my feelings for Valentine's Day. More people than ever in the U.S. live alone but society is still stacked against us.
I sent DH a rose via texting.@--->---
I got that from this very cute story:
http://s2b2.livejournal.com/75804.html
Charming wrote: "I sent DH a rose via texting.@--->---
I got that from this very cute story:
http://s2b2.livejournal.com/75804.html"
Thank you, Charming, this story is soooo cute! The code is hilarious!
And I want the T-Shirts.
Valentine's Day is a weird day to work in an office full of women. I've known women who ordered flowers for themselves, just so they wouldn't be the only people not to get a delivery. I've also known women who cancelled the flowers their husbands picked out and ordered themselves something bigger. What a mess. My last job was in a small office, just me and two men. What a relief! No one even *noticed* it was Valentine's Day!Mom's baking a cheesecake, and after Mom and Dad went to bed last night I snuck around the house putting up a few decorations. That's the extent of our Valentine's Day celebration.
Jordan wrote: "I finished the book group book yesterday morning, and while taking a sick day from work started Special Forces - Mercenaries Part I. Wow. The beginning is so heartbreakingly sad I co..."I gotta tell you, after I started that series, I was glued, and kicking myself for putting it off so long, since it was a 'free-read'! I thought about those characters for weeks after I was finished...
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Thanks, Calathea! Sounds like I'll have to practice that a bit before actually trying it here... :)